The Tanchico heist succeeds, thanks to hilariously bad security that allows Bayle Domon talk his way into the palace. Elayne and Egeanin rescue a traumatized Lady Amathera from a Black Ajah member with a penchant for bawdy songs. Nynaeve enters an “arm-wrestling” match of the One Power with Moghedien. After winning the duel by throwing a heavy artifact at the Forsaken’s face, Nynaeve’s moral hesitation allows Jeaine Caide to interrupt with a Balefire-fueled demolition of the museum. The girls escape with the Panarch, but leave a Forsaken alive to weave another day.
Oh boy, we’re sneaking into a palace! We haven’t had a caper like this since Moiraine and Siuan visited Kandor twenty years ago.
Bayle Domon and his men escort a cart carrying Saldaean ice peppers to the Panarch’s Palace. He has made this gift to the Panarch before, and it is said she particularly enjoyed them, so he’s back with more. That’s the story, anyway. Nynaeve, Elayne, and Egeanin ride in the cart, posing as refugees under Domon’s employ. Hidden beneath the ice peppers, the women have uniforms that will disguise them as servants from the palace.
Wait, this is Nynaeve’s brilliant plan? Nobody is going to search the baskets of ice peppers? Nobody is going to notice that three of Domon’s workers enter the palace and never come out? Public opinion actively runs against the Panarch, so you would expect security to be on point, but instead it is hilariously awful. Either Domon has a golden tongue — and we know damn well he doesn’t — or the guards have their heads so far up their own asses that even he can talk his way into the palace. The three women infiltrate the palace without a hitch.
Nynaeve goes off to purloin the artifacts, leaving Elayne and Egeanin to find Lady Amathera. Recall that Nynaeve walked in on Temaile Kinderode torturing Lady Amathera in Tel’aran’rhiod, and when Elayne bursts into the room, Temaile is there in the real world as well. What the shit? Does Temaile spend all her waking and sleeping hours tormenting Lady Amathera? Either this is psychosis, or there’s some kind of erotic fixation at play. Just look at the bawdy song Lady Amathera is being forced to sing!
My breasts are round, and my hips are too.
I can flatten a whole ship’s crew.
My thighs are strong as anchor chain.
My kiss can burst–
Well, we don’t get to hear any more, because Elayne shields Temaile and pummels her with flows of Air. With one member of the Black Ajah subdued, Elayne and Egeanin set about sneaking Lady Amathera out of the palace.
Nynaeve walks through the palace’s exhibit hall, pretending to dust things with her feather duster. She prepares to take the “control Rand” collar when a woman walks through the hall. Nynaeve recognizes her from the dream — Moghedien!
Moghedien tries to use Compulsion on Nynaeve, like she did at the inn. Nynaeve is enraged — she weaves the same flows she saw Egwene use to still Amico Nagoyin. Moghedien counters with the same weave. Both women are locked in a Power battle, simultaneously defending themselves from being stilled, and trying to still each other. It’s an intense struggle, but it’s testament to Nynaeve’s potential that she can match a woman who has been channeling since the Age of Legends.
Moghedien uses taunts and words, hoping to distract Nynaeve enough for her to make a mistake. Perhaps inspired by the idea — if not the approach — Nynaeve grabs the “control Rand” collar and throws it at Moghedien’s face. Hah! Moghedien tries to distract with words, Nynaeve just throws something. That’s like showing up to a sword fight and pulling out a gun. The distraction gives Nynaeve the opening she needs, but she’s getting tired and fucks up the weave. Instead of stilling Moghedien, it only shields her. Nynaeve binds her with flows of Air, and really wants to cart her out of the palace “to face justice.”
Hmm… you know, Nynaeve. Since you aren’t really an Aes Sedai yet, you aren’t really bound by the Three Oaths. You could just channel a little here, a little there, and boom, she’s gone. Dead. One of the Forsaken, dead. Get it?
Unfortunately, Nynaeve’s moral compass prevents any such thing from happening. While she’s trying to work out a way to transport Moghedien out of the palace, Jeaine Caide of the Black Ajah spots her, and starts shooting balefire. Nynaeve dodges around, and Jeaine utterly erases entire sections of the palace from existence trying to hit her. Portions of the palace crumble around them, and Jeaine probably gets hit on the head by falling masonry or something. Moghedien is nowhere to be found. Nynaeve hurries off to meet up with Elayne and Egeanin.